Sports history is an ever-changing landscape.
Teams rise and fall. Records are set and then broken. It’s a perpetual cycle.
Some programs cast themselves as the best with years and even decades of consistent performance.
With three straight Class 3 championships and no lower than a second-place finish since 2010, the Festus boys cross country team has staked its claim as one of the premiere prep sports programs in Missouri. A fourth straight title at the Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City this fall would tie College Heights Christian (2007-2010) for the third-longest consecutive title streak in state history.
Of course, when it comes to running excellence, Jefferson County isn’t new to the party. For the Tigers to break the state record of seven straight state titles, all they have to do is look just north to Herculaneum, which set that mark (1977 to 1983).
Festus head coach Bryant Wright is unflinching in his desire to keep the Tigers at the top.
“It’s great to see these young men face this task ahead of them and measure up to the athletes before them,” Wright said. “Being able to watch it unfold is special. I don’t know what’s going to happen but these boys are giving 100 percent.”
Holding on to the state crown won’t be easy. Five of the Tigers’ top runners graduated last year, leaving junior Max McDaniel to pace the new pack. McDaniel, the defending Jefferson County Activities Association champion, has finished fourth twice in Class 3 and he shaved 17 seconds off his time at state as a sophomore.
“He’s done a great job trying to transition into that leadership role but a couple of other men have stepped forward and become great leaders,” Wright said. “They all take it very seriously because they don’t want to let their teammates down. It’s been exciting to watch that happen.
“Through Max’s workouts and attitude, he’s ahead of where he was last year by quite a bit. We don’t want him to get fourth four years in a row.”
McDaniel was the top Tiger runner Saturday at the Forest Park Cross Country Festival. The Tigers finished a distant seventh in the team standings and McDaniel was fifth with a time of 16:14.66.
After McDaniel, Wright isn’t sure of the order of the next six runners but he knows they were Jonah Krieg, Trenton Childress, Alec Whitener, Garrett Rhine, James Ziesmer and Simon Ogle.
“These young men during the middle of track season got it in their head they want to do something special so I had to cultivate the idea to try and continue what the boys before them have done,” Wright said.
Since winning the Class 3 championship along with the boys in 2014, the Festus girls haven’t been able to crack the top 16 at state.
While the Tigers won the JCAA title last year, Wright is eager to see them rejoin their brethren on the podium in Jefferson City.
“Last year we didn’t make it as a team so we have to find away to get out of districts as a team and shine at the state meet,” Wright said. “I think they have the ability and now we have to use it.”
So far this season, junior Melissa Wolk has posted the fastest times for the Tigers and could be their No. 1 runner. Senior Maddie Wiskirchen, junior Allison Payne and sophomores Paige Treon and Yasmine Schaaf are sorting out the rest of the varsity. Schaaf finished fifth in the conference a year ago.
“We’ve got quite a few girls this year,” Wright said. “I divided it up into leaders who are in charge of groups and they’re doing a great job of making everybody part of the team. It’s a group effort.”
‘Two-headed’ monster lurks in Crystal City
Juniors Emma Shirley and Taylor Sloan are two different people but their combined talents helped boost the Hornets to sixth place in Class 1 last season. Shirley finished 25th in 22:26.72 and Sloan was 34th with a time of 22:56.36 at the Oak Hills Golf Course last year. Shirley finished 16th for Crystal City in 2015 when the Hornets captured the Class 1 championship.
“When they’re right, everybody else is right,” head coach Ken Jones said.
The Hornets have won four straight district titles, but Jones said this year will be the tightest race in awhile after finishing behind District 1 opponent Valle at the St. Vincent Invitational on Aug. 30.
Senior Abbegail Holdinghausen did not run for at state last year but finished 29th at state as a sophomore. Jones said Holdinghausen has been in the program for six years.
“She’s like the veteran on a pitching staff, that’s what she is for us,” Jones said. “She has all the experiences as a state champion. Day in and day out, you know what you’re going to get out of her.”
Senior Amanda Bauman is back for her second year on the varsity after finishing 111th at state last year. Junior Taylor Reynolds was 85th at state.
“We’ve got a veteran squad but we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Jones said.
Jones said the Hornet boys have a full squad this season, which usually isn’t the case.
Senior Devin Friedmeyer is the top runner, but he has a lot of work to do to move up in the Class 1 field after finishing 140th in Jefferson City a year ago, albeit with an injury he sustained the week before at districts.
At St. Vincent on Aug. 30, Friedmeyer covered the 3.1 miles in 18:25, much faster than his state time of 20:37.84. Jones said Friedmeyer’s time in Perryville was the fastest time in District 1 so far this season.
“He’s a true ace,” Jones said. “When you’re Class 1 with a full squad and a runner like Devin, we have a boys team that could make a trip to Jefferson City.”
Sophomores Sam Smith, Ian Holdinghausen and Adam Mills have faced a steep learning curve to compete on the varsity, but Jones said they’re all working hard.
“Having a full boys team is like a breath of fresh air for me,” Jones said.
Two state qualifiers return for Eagles
Grandview had a low turnout last year, but two all-state runners – senior Allison Wakeland and sophomore Kyrsten Elder – are returning with more help this season.
Elder, who finished seventh in the Class 2 District 1 race last year, completed the 3.1 miles at Oak Hills in 22:10.81, good for 52nd. Wakeland, a four-year member of the varsity, cracked the top 100 by finishing 96th.
Senior Mitchell Zoph is the top runner for the boys.
“We were low in team numbers for the entire (2016) season, and we struggled to make a team,” said Scott Meyer, the head coach for the boys and girls. “Our numbers are better this year and we look to compete better. We expect to improve in each race.”
Seniors lead way for Hawk boys
Seniors Kevin Koester and Colton Vaughn finished in the top 10 in most of the Hawks’ races last season and culminated their seasons with trips to Jefferson City. Koester, who was third in the JCAA championships, finished 31st in Class 4 with a time of 16:20.12, while Vaughn was 80th in 16:53.42. At the Stan Nelson Invitational on Saturday, Koester won the race and set a meet record with a time of 15:53.26.
The Hawks finished third at the Fleet Feet Invitational, were third at Webster Groves and won their own invitational last season. Head coach Tom Gordon said he wants the Hawks to finish in the top four in every race.
Joining Koester and Vaughn are seniors Christopher Dugan and Logan Galczynski, junior Caleb Epley and sophomore Michael Wright.
“If Kevin and Colton repeat what they did last year, our team will have a shot at making it back to state,” said Gordon, in his 10th year.
For the first time in a decade, the Hillsboro girls have five freshmen – Briana Langrehr, Emma Wright, Brianna Barton, Emily Hoese and Abby Couch – on their roster. The young Hawks will have plenty of job opportunities to earn a spot on the varsity.
Seniors Bailey Boylan and Maddy Golden and junior Emma Hirstein are the three most experienced runners. Boylan was the top Hillsboro runner at the conference meet by finishing 21st.
“We always want to be competing for a conference championship,” said head coach Lane Woodside, in his ninth season. “We also want to send a girls team to sectionals for the first time in school history.”
Seniors in short supply for Owls
Because Windsor has several athletes who compete in multiple fall sports, the Owls have formed a “breakfast club.” Two or three times a week, the two-sport fall athletes meet early in the morning for coaching and a group run.
The only senior on either the boys or girls teams is Clayton Kusmec, a first-year runner.
Sophomore Emma Pouvaranukoah won the junior varsity meet at Arcadia Valley last season. She finished 23rd at the JCAA meet. Junior Keri Voegtle (24th) was right behind her at the conference meet.
“Both Keri and Emma made a powerful impact last year,” Windsor girls head coach Kristi Pardeck said. “They were dedicated this summer and have grown much stronger and more competitive. We’re excited to see them race this year.”
Junior Alex Ahrens has been in the program since middle school. He was 43rd in the conference a year ago.
“He is a soft-spoken leader who leads by example,” Windsor boys head coach John Leech said. “Based on his dedication and attitude, Clayton will provide a spark for the varsity.”
Jefferson girls have first full team
Juniors Jordan and Anna Heacock combined to win six medals at last spring’s Class 2 state track meet in Jefferson City. The twins led the Blue Jays to a second-place finish.
About a mile away from Adkins Stadium is the Oak Hills Golf Course, where the Heacocks and their teammates hope to return in November for the Class 2 cross country championships. Last season at Oak Hills, Jordan led the way by medalling and finishing 22nd in 21:03.57. Sophomore Cheney Ervin was 27th (21:19.42) and despite not being a distance runner during track season, Anna came in 56th. Anna finished 12th at the conference meet, six ahead of Jordan last season.
Head coach Mollie Rhodes said Jordan is healthy and on track to beat her personal-best time of 20:17. Rhodes said Anna was eager to run with the team coming off of a third-place finish in districts.
“She is going to be a big help in the push to get our girls team to state this year,” Rhodes said.
The boys are paced by seniors Tennessee Ervin and Alex Hollenberg. Rhodes said Ervin had an outstanding season in 2016 and she expects the same thing this year. Freshman Nolan Roth ran a 5K in 19:48 already this season and Rhodes said he’s only going to get faster.
De Soto girls return 2 state qualifiers
Senior Sarah Peoples doesn’t need to Google how to find the Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City. She’s already ran in the Class 3 state championships three times.
But while Peoples is familiar with the topography of the challenging, hilly course, she’s yet to win a medal there. Oddly enough, Peoples has regressed each year, having finished 37th as a freshman, 65th as a sophomore and 83rd last season.
On Saturday at the Stan Nelson Invitational, Peoples crossed the finish line first for the Dragons and 15th overall with a time of 20:54.87.
“Sarah really took on a leadership role in the offseason and has put together her strongest summer since I’ve coached her,” De Soto head coach Aaron Young said. “Talentwise, the sky is the limit for her. She just has to believe that she can compete with the top runners.”
Sophomore Lillie Kaempfe is the other returning state qualifier; she ran 74th last year. She was 19th at the Nelson meet with a 21:00.83 clocking. She played softball and ran cross country last year but dropped softball this fall.
“She decided to focus entirely on cross country and I think that she will drastically improve this year,” Young said. “She is a hard worker and a great student.”
Senior Savannah Meyer, junior Jewell Kohler, sophomore Carli Roberts and freshman Erika Mellor are the other top runners.
“I think this team will be able to battle Festus and Herculaneum for a conference title and battle for a trip to state as well,” Young said.
On the boys’ side, Young concedes that 2017 De Soto graduate and state qualifier Cole Koch will be hard to replace this season. But senior Logan Sisson is off to a good start trying to fill Koch’s sneakers, the coach said.
“Logan has the ability,” Young said. “I think his hard work will pay off this season.”
Senior Bailey McCoy, junior Jared Gardner, sophomore Chris Brooks and freshmen Wyatt Radford and Dylan Shelton are all in the mix to be in the top five. Brooks ran every varsity race as a freshman.
“And he eventually worked his way up to the third man on the team,” Young said. “Chris is one of the hardest workers that I have ever had the privilege to coach and I think that will get him far this year.”
Mathis makes fourth attempt to reach state
After three years of running for St. Pius X, senior Katie Mathis has one more chance to reach the state meet in Jefferson City and head coach Rick Woods said he wants to see her get there.
At the Arcadia Valley Invitational on Saturday, Mathis finished 25th with a time of 23:26.05. Wood said Mathis has been dealing with some nagging injuries that have not allowed her to post her best times yet this season.
Mathis’ younger sister, Kimmie, has run with shin splints the past two years but Wood said she’s doing the best she can despite the chronic pain. Junior Emily Mathews and freshman Rita Eimer are trying to find their footing at the varsity level.
Wood said the only two boys who have made it through the first month of the season are freshmen Adam Bishop and Justin Kramer.
“We haven’t had a lot of people come out for our team and we do the best with what we’ve got,” Wood said.
Herky girls look to extend record
It’s now 13 years and counting for the Blackcat girls squad, which finished in the top four at last year’s MSHSAA Class 3 championships to set the state record for consecutive top four placements.
“It’s become the standard for us to make it to the podium,” head coach Kyle Davis said. “I know the girls have that as their general goal. More specifically, they’re trying to be the best they can be.”
Junior Nautica Stricklin is back after finishing fifth at state and winning the JCAA championship last fall. Davis said her goal is to run sub-19-minute times before state. At the Forest Park Invitational on Saturday, Stricklin turned in the top time (20:24.91) among Class 3 girls.
“Nautica looks great,” Davis said. “She’s established herself as the front runner on the team. She’s very much a competitor.”
Junior Emily Enghauser is a two-time state medal winner after finishing fourth in 2015 and 22nd last season. Davis said Enghauser has faced a little adversity this year but is still the team’s No. 2 runner.
“Running isn’t coming as easy as it used to for Emily,” Davis said.
Rounding out the top seven are freshmen Laura Maddox and Persepheni Berry, sophomore Chloe Richardson and seniors Alex Becker and Keara Pieper. Maddox has already established herself as a top-three runner.
Among the boys, Jonathon Coffman came in 15th at the state meet as a freshman last year, but could miss this season with a hip injury, Davis said. That would be a huge loss for the Blackcats’ aspirations to reach Jefferson City as a team.
“We’d like to have him the last month of the season,” Davis said of Coffman.
Coffman’s absence leaves senior Loki Cortner as the top runner. Cortner was 34th across the finish line at Oak Hills last year. Cortner has reached state the last two years, but has yet to reach the medal stand.
Rounding out the top boys are sophomores Matt Bartosch and Kyle Vinyard, junior Jacob Arnold, senior Jordan Mouser and freshman Jeremiah Deaton.